Parasites of South African Wildlife. XIX. the Prevalence of Helminths in Some Common Antelopes, Warthogs and a Bushpig in the Limpopo Province, South Africa
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Page 1 of 11 Original Research Parasites of South African wildlife. XIX. The prevalence of helminths in some common antelopes, warthogs and a bushpig in the Limpopo province, South Africa Authors: Little work has been conducted on the helminth parasites of artiodactylids in the northern 1 Ilana C. van Wyk and western parts of the Limpopo province, which is considerably drier than the rest of the Joop Boomker1 province. The aim of this study was to determine the kinds and numbers of helminth that Affiliations: occur in different wildlife hosts in the area as well as whether any zoonotic helminths were 1Department of Veterinary present. Ten impalas (Aepyceros melampus), eight kudus (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), four blue Tropical Diseases, University wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus), two black wildebeest (Connochaetes gnou), three gemsbok of Pretoria, South Africa (Oryx gazella), one nyala (Tragelaphus angasii), one bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), one Correspondence to: waterbuck (Kobus ellipsiprymnus), six warthogs (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) and a single bushpig Ilana van Wyk (Potamochoerus porcus) were sampled from various localities in the semi-arid northern and western areas of the Limpopo province. Email: [email protected] New host–parasite associations included Trichostrongylus deflexus from blue wildebeest, Postal address: Agriostomum gorgonis from black wildebeest, Stilesia globipunctata from the waterbuck and Private bag X04, Fasciola hepatica in a kudu. The mean helminth burden, including extra-gastrointestinal Onderstepoort 0110, South Africa helminths, was 592 in impalas, 407 in kudus and blue wildebeest, 588 in black wildebeest, 184 in gemsbok, and 2150 in the waterbuck. Excluding Probstmayria vivipara, the mean helminth Dates: burden in warthogs was 2228 and the total nematode burden in the bushpig was 80. The Received: 20 Nov. 2010 total burdens and species richness of the helminths in this study were consistently low when Accepted: 29 Aug. 2011 Published: 11 Nov. 2011 compared with similar studies on the same species in areas with higher rainfall. This has practical implications when animals are translocated to areas with higher rainfall and higher How to cite this article: prevalence of helminths. Van Wyk, I.C. & Boomker, J., 2011, ‘Parasites of South African wildlife. XIX. The prevalence of helminths in Introduction some common antelopes, Game ranching constitutes a significant part of the land use practices in the Limpopo province, warthogs and a bushpig in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Parasites play an important role in regulating host populations in a natural South Africa’, Onderstepoort environment; therefore, knowledge about the helminth infections of wildife in an area is essential. Journal of Veterinary Farming with game creates an unnatural system and disrupts the balance between parasite and Research 78(1), Art. #308, host. In this stressful environment animals become diseased or can even die from parasite loads 11 pages. http://dx.doi. org/10.4102/ojvr.v78i1.308 that they would have survived under natural conditions. Trophy hunting and the production of venison are increasing in the province and condemnation of carcasses due to macroscopic pathology caused by parasites can lead to financial losses. Little work has been conducted on the helminth parasites of artiodactylids in the northern and western parts of the province. The aims of this study were to determine the species and numbers of helminth that occur in different wildlife hosts in the area, and to determine whether any zoonotic helminths were present. To this end, a total of 37 animals from various localities in the Limpopo province were examined and their parasites identified and counted. Materials and methods Materials The animal species, number of collections and the collection dates and localities (with their global positioning system coordinates) are summarised in Table 1. © 2011. The Authors. Survey areas Licensee: AOSIS The survey was performed in the northern parts of the Limpopo province near the Soutpansberg OpenJournals. This work and the town Musina, which lies on the Limpopo River, and the western parts near the town is licensed under the Creative Commons Lephalale. The vegetation in the Soutpansberg region is Mixed Bushveld with sections falling Attribution License. within the mist belt on the escarpment. The Musina area is semi-arid and the vegetation type http://www.ojvr.org doi:10.4102/ojvr.v78i1.308 Page 2 of 11 Original Research varies between Thornveld and Mopani veld (Acocks 1988). In addition to the warthogs (Phacochoerus aethiopicus) that The rainfall recorded between July 2006 and June 2007 for had been culled, the carcasses of several warthogs from a the Soutpansberg area and Musina was 300 mm and 500 mm, meat processing plant were examined for Trichinella spp. As respectively (South African Weather Service 2007). Rainfall only the eviscerated carcasses were available, only samples is strictly confined to the summer. The climate is hot during from the diaphragms and the intercostal muscles could be summer and cool during winter, with occasional frost. collected for examination. The western parts of the province are semi-arid and the Collection and preservation of parasites vegetation type varies between Sweet Bushveld and Mixed The carcasses of the culled animals were first inspected Bushveld (Acocks 1988). Rainfall from July 2006 to July 2007 visually for the presence of Taenia or Echinococcus in the Lephalale area was 178 mm (South African Weather metacestodes on the cut surfaces and those of the pericardium, Service 2007). The summers are hot and the winters cool. heart, diaphragm and liver. When permitted, the tongue was freed and examined visually and palpated. Only single Study animals metacestodes were encountered and collected, which were subsequently preserved in 70% alcohol. With the exception of one gemsbok (Oryx gazella) and the nyala (Tragelaphus angasii), the study material was obtained Carcasses that were destined for export were not skinned from animals that had been culled or hunted during the until they reached the abattoir. No incisions were made into hunting season (May–September) of 2006 and 2007. A few the muscles, except for the masseter and the diaphragm. organ samples from one of the gemsbok and the carcass of The heads and capes of animals hunted for trophies were the nyala were submitted to the Louis Trichardt Veterinary preserved; therefore, no incisions of the masseter muscles or Laboratory for post-mortem examination. tongues could be made. TABLE 1: The collection data for the various animals examined. Species n Date Locality Farm GPS coordinates Impala 3 Jun. 2006 Musina Musina Research Station 22°40.645S 29°48.895E 1 Jul. 2007 1 Jun. 2006 Musina Kerneels Young Trust 22°40.645S 29°48.895E 2 Jun. 2006 Lephalale Bushman’s Safaris 23°10.086S 28°05.189E 3 Aug. 2007 Soutpansberg Nwanedi Nature Reserve 22°56.129S 29°55.003E Kudu 3 May 2007 Soutpansberg Langgedachte 23°19.985S 29°48.075E 2 Jul. 2007 Musina Musina Research Station 22°40.645S 29°48.895E 1 Jun. 2006 Musina Kerneels Young Trust 22°40.645S 29°48.895E 1 Jul. 2007 Lephalale Bushman’s Safaris 23°10.086S 28°05.189E 1 Aug. 2007 Soutpansberg Nwanedi Nature Reserve 22°56.129S 29°55.003E Bushbuck 1 Aug. 2007 Soutpansberg Last Post 23°17.557S 29°54.593E Nyala 1 Sep. 2007 Soutpansberg Uitvlught 23°02.903S 29°46.035E Blue wildebeest 3 Aug. 2007 Soutpansberg Langgedachte 23°19.985S 29°48.075E 1 Jul. 2006 Lephalale Bushman’s Safaris 23°10.086S 28°05.189E Black wildebeest 2 Jul. 2007 Lephalale Bushman’s Safaris 23°10.086S 28°05.189E Gemsbok 2 Jul. 2007 Musina Musina Research Station 22°40.645S 29°48.895E 1 Jun. 2006 Musina Kerneels Young Trust 22°40.645S 29°48.895E Waterbuck 1 Jul. 2007 Soutpansberg Last Post 23°17.557S 29°54.593E Warthog 2 Aug. 2006 Lephalale Bushman’s Safaris 23°10.086S 28°05.189E 2 Aug. 2007 1 Jun. 2006 Musina Kerneels Young Trust 22°40.645S 29°48.895E 1 Jun. 2007 Musina Alldays 22°45.639S 29°48.523E Bushpig 1 Oct. 2007 Soutpansberg Soekmekaar 23°17.557S 29°54.593E GPS, global positioning system; n, sample size. http://www.ojvr.org doi:10.4102/ojvr.v78i1.308 Page 3 of 11 Original Research The intestinal helminths as well as those in the heart, lungs Data analysis and liver of the antelopes were collected as described by Sampling was not truly random and depended on Boomker, Horak and De Vos (1989) but digests of abomasal circumstances to some extent. Therefore, the significance of and intestinal mucosae were not performed. Depending the results could not be compared statistically. However, on the volume of ingesta of the different parts of the descriptive statistics were used as applicable. gastrointestinal tract, aliquots of a quarter, a tenth or a 25th were made and examined. The entire abomasal content of the bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus) was examined. Ethical considerations The samples in this study were opportunistically collected The helminths of warthogs and the bushpig (Potamochoerus from animals that had been either hunted or culled for porcus) were recovered as described by Boomker et al. reasons other than this study. (1991a). In addition, muscle samples from the diaphragm and intercostal and masseter muscles were crushed (between glass slides) and examined under a stereoscopic microscope Results and discussion for the presence of Trichinella spp. Animals Impalas Parasite counts and identification Twelve helminth species, ten nematodes and two cestodes Aliquots of ingesta and organ washings were fixed and were recovered from impalas (Aepyceros melampus) in this preserved in 70% ethyl alcohol. These were transported to the study. The helminth burdens are presented in Table 2. laboratory, where they were examined under a stereoscopic microscope and all helminths were removed. The nematodes Cooperia hungi was most prevalent, followed by were cleared in lactophenol, identified under a standard Impalaia tuberculata, Oesophagostomum columbianum and microscope and counted.